Peter Avram Zuckerman

Activist for Human Progress and Survival

"The longest of journeys begins with a single URL."
"Humans are too dangerous as enemies!"

Warning! This home page is for the serious websurfer.
It contains material that may disturb the unprepared. However, if you are interested
in human survival -- of yourself, your family, your country and your fellow humans
-- then you are invited to explore the information provided, and ACT UPON IT!

My story...

As I am looking at personal home pages, sometimes I become a bit envious. Many
Americans -- especially if they can afford to be on the Internet -- are fortunate
in having reasonable comfortable backgrounds, good education and many interests.
Although I also reached a condition of good professional and economic status, my
past does not allow me to enjoy my blessings.

At the age of sixteen ...

This is the first photograph I have of me. You may wonder what happened
to my earlier pictures. Even in my poverty-stricken childhood in Hungary we could
afford pictures of my elementary school classes and other family photos. But everything
(including photos of my mother) was destroyed upon my arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau,
as part of the dehumanization process of the Holocaust by the Germans.

The picture shows me six months after my liberation. My hair has grown back, and
I regained most of my weight. I am wearing a blue jacket of the Canadian air force,
part of the donated clothing available to displaced persons, as we were called. The
red triangle on the jacket indicates my concentration camp imprisonment. My somber
appearance reflects the slow emotional recovery from the horrors that I experienced.

My past ...

I was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1929. I grew up in poverty, but because of
a good public school system I obtained a high level of literacy. I was exposed to
aspects of American culture through the many Hollywood movies shown in the theaters.
In those days the good guys ultimately triumphed over wickedness -- at least on the
screen. Most of all I was impressed by the apparent wealth and power of America.
My mother died in 1941. Since she was estranged from my stepfather, she sent me to
her sisters living in a small town in the country side when she became terminally
ill. My good literacy enabled me to become a printer's apprentice. I was essentially
an indentured servant, receiving room and board in exchange for working six days
a week for my master. But I was learning a skilled trade, and continued my education
informally through reading. Although World War II was raging through Europe and Asia,
little of it was noted in the small town of Nyirbator. I worked at this stationery
and printing shop for almost three years.

All this suddenly changed in the spring of 1944. Germany occupied Hungary, and
installed a fascist government. The "final solution" of the alleged Jewish
problem became implemented in Hungary, just as it was conducted in the parts of Europe
within the reach of the Nazi armies. The Jewish-Slavic Holocaust eventually claimed
17 million victims, including six million Jews. In 1944 most of the Jewish community
of Hungary was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the ultimate death factory of Nazi Germany.
I was most fortunate in being able to survive this catastrophe.

The Holocaust

Anyone interested in this manifestation of human cruelty and evil can find a great
deal of information on the Internet. Some of the major links are:

By a combination of endurance and luck I was able to survive the Holocaust. (For
a summary of my experiences see my brief biographical entry, Auschwitz
Hailfingen, Vaihingen: Hell on Earth.) Altogether I spent almost a year in various
German concentration and labor camps, as the advance of the Soviet armies forced
the evacuation of Poland by the Germans.

Liberated by the French Army -- April 7, 1945 (see my Identity Record prepared
by the Committee of the Liberated Prisoners)

Becoming a ward of the United Nations I spent many months in various DP (displaced
persons) camps. It was unthinkable that I return to my native Hungary. As an orphan
I was given some choices of starting a new existence. I chose the United States.

Coming to America

After receiving my immigration papers I boarded the Marine Marlin,
one of the 900 passengers that had a chance to start a new life in America.

Like millions of other immigrants to America, I experienced the elation
of seeing the Statue of Liberty looming up at the entrance of New York Harbor. After
the stormy crossing of the Atlantic the skies cleared as if by magic. The ship floated
over the smooth surface of a suddenly tranquil sea. It seemed as if the elements
themselves became subdued by the torch lifted high, promising freedom to the oppressed
masses of humanity.

For me and my fellow survivors the words of Emma Lazarus -- carved on the pedestal
of the Statue of Liberty -- were especially appropriate. Our ship indeed carried
the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." I experienced the exultation
and emotions of joy as we disembarked in Ellis Island, the gateway for millions of
immigrants to America. My sufferings came to an end. The promise of the New World,
at one time unattainably distant, now became a reality. I even received a brief recognition,
as the New York Herald Tribune reported our arrival (January 25, 1947).

My present ...

Currently my wife and I reside in a suburban community near Washington, D.C. My spouse
has retired from work, but I still continue to function as a self-employed consultant.
I call myself a (Medicare) card-carrying high-tech senior citizen. While many people
in my condition are looking forward to retirement and travel, I intend to continue
to work and strive for the future.

My education includes a Master's degree from the University
of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). My major was in management and accounting.
I became briefly a Certified Public Accountant, but then I moved into information
processing and computers. Like Benjamin Franklin I was a printer's apprentice at
the age of twelve. I continued my interest in publishing information throughout my
career, which advanced from manual assembling of "hot" type to electronic
publishing on the Web. Along the way I was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in
the 2nd Armored Division in occupied West Germany (Bad Kreuznach).

After serving two years of active duty, and three years in the Ready Reserve, I received
an Honorable Discharge.

After college my work experience included local government, the aerospace industry
and the non-profit sector. Presently I function as a consultant, helping to organize
and promote educational conferences and workshops in information technology topics,
including the Internet. For more detail see Technical/Educational
Background.

Quest for Understanding

Although gradually I resumed a normal existence, I remained obsessed with my experiences
during the Holocaust. I started to conduct research into the origins and causes of
the Holocaust. Gradually I discovered the conditions and events that resulted in
the genocide. My Personal History provides a more detailed
explanation of my personal and intellectual development.

After many years I was able to summarize the results of my research in the form
of a book titled Beyond the Holocaust:
Survival or Extinction? Thanks to the Internet, I am able to publish my
book without a publisher. (Readers of my home page are invited to become co-authors,
by providing ideas and suggestions for improvements.) Chapter 1, The
Causes of the Holocaust can give the reader the needed insight.

Motivation

As a survivor of the Holocaust I developed a strong motivation and sense of obligation
to prevent similar future disasters. The ultimate cause of the Holocaust
and the other genocides of the 20th century were caused by political mismanagement
by a virtual political class, supported by excessive military institutions.
My experiences made me especially concerned about the negative trends of the 20th
century that could have resulted in even greater catastrophes, and are still causing
major disasters in such places as Bosnia and Rwanda. Chapter 2, What
Could Occur provides a brief analysis of these trends.

I am motivated to undertake my current activities for several reasons:

As a human being: part of the single species of Homo sapiens
sapiens, recognizing the tremendous similarities that unite us, and the trivial
differences that divide us ...

As an American: citizen of a nation that proved and continues
to demonstrate that men and women of many different racial, ethnic and religious
backgrounds can live together in harmony and create a superpower -- economic, military
and even moral ...

My Two Oaths further demand and justify the activities
I am undertaking.

As a survivor: of the Jewish-Slavic Holocaust that killed 17
million men, women and children. Trying to understand that catastrophe led to my
realization of the need for action to prevent human extinction.

As a survivor I am very much concerned about the survival of future generations,
and even the survival of the human species. In this I am attempting to follow the
examples of My Three Heroes.

My ancestry also makes me concerned about the on-going violence in the Middle East
betwen the Arab countries and Israel. This special concern is expressed in the summation
of my Ancestral Motivation and the Confederation of
Abraham proposal (see below).

The Implications

My quest for understanding discovered the potentially fatal human characteristics
that explain not only the Holocaust but also the other tragedies that occurred and
are taking place even now. Chapter 3, The
Fatal Human Flaws summarizes the findings of many scientists and scholars.

The convergence of many negative world trends, reinforced by political mismanagement
and its supporter, the excessive war institution, could endanger the survival of
our civilization, and even the human species. Chapter 4, The
Future Danger, discusses these trends.

The Answer

The benefit of an analytical approach to problems is that the analysis also can
direct to remedies. Complex problems require complex solutions. The understanding
of the reasons behind our predicament also points out the means of overcoming the
danger to human survival. Chapter 5, What
Should Be Done? provides a detailed set of actions to be taken.

Some of the ideas explored:

New social inventions, to replace the flawed governing institutions.
The Global Ideas Bank is a repository
of new ideas and innovations to improve faulty or malfunctioning social institutions.
New, better functioning governing institutions can emerge through the methods of
social inventions.

Many social and political conflicts among groups are caused by one side attempting
to win at the expense of the opposing side -- a win-lose situation. The concept of
super-optimum solutions is to discover ways where both sides come
out ahead of their best expectations -- a win-win situation. Dr. Stuart Nagel's Super-Optimum
Solutions (SOS) Institute developed and advocated this approach to resolving
conflicts. An example of applying this concept to the current conflict in the Middle
East is the Confederation of Abraham:
A Super-Optimum (Win-Win) Solution for Peace in the Middle East proposal,
which would transform the fragmented Arab World into an advanced and peaceful Arab
Nation.

The Common Good Covenant
is a compilation of 65 major national and world problems, with preliminary suggestions
for resolving them. The use of public policy analysis, new social inventions and
super-optimum solutions could be combined to resolving problems and situations that
threaten human survival.

In the past major national problems were resolved through social movements.
The abolition of slavery and women's suffrage are some of the examples of
successful social movements. Chapter 5, What
Should Be Done? discusses the proposed social movement: Government
for the People.

Actions to Be Taken

The Internet as the Global Link for Human Survival

While the problems facing our society and the human species remain formidable,
we also have considerable resources to overcome them. The emergence of the Internet
is especially promising. For the first time in human history there is a means of
reaching and contacting much of the world's population. Even the powerholders of
authoritarian countries find it necessary to participate, so that their society does
not fall further behind the rest of the world. Developing and disseminating the right
message through the Internet makes it feasible to develop the global mindset that
we need to reverse human devolution.

Participating in the Social Movement Government for the People

The continuing interest in alternatives to the existing Republican and Democratic
parties indicates that much of the public is ready to reform our politics. The availability
of affordable mass communications technologies provides the means to reach the millions
of concerned citizens ready to participate in a social movement.

Beyond the Holocaust: Extinction or Survival? concludes with the
Epilogue, which summarizes some
of America's previous Great Awakenings. The abolition of the institutions of hereditary
monarchy and slavery, and the success of the women's suffrage movement prove that
major changes can be achieved in our society. Both the Constitution and the history
of the United States demand that concerned citizens should be ready, able and willing
to participate in abolishing the worldwide condition of political mismanagement.

Local Grass Roots Organizing

The concerns of many of our citizens can be mobilized through the methods and
techniques developed by activists interested in needed reforms. The widespread availability
of telephone connections, personal computers, fax machines, computer bulletin boards
and the Internet provide the means. The many concerned organizations for peace and
justice, the environment and other social issues would provide a further means of
energizing the public on the local level.

I am the president of the Human Progress Network (HPN), a non-profit, tax-exempt
educational organization. As indicated by its name, the purpose of HPN is to facilitate
the networking and cooperation of the many organizations interested in improving
the human condition in the United States and the world. Located near Washington,
D.C., the organization has good access to the non-profit community and the political
establishment that needs to be reformed.

What You Can Do

The vast scope of the effort that has to be undertaken for the social movement
Government for the People
requires the assistance of many concerned citizens. Here are some possibilities for
you:

Read the ideas contained in Beyond the Holocaust: Extinction or Survival?
Make suggestions for corrections, improvements, enhancements or other ways of strengthening
the message and proposed solutions.

Provide suggestions for your volunteer participation directly or through the
Internet. For example, you could be the local coordinator in your community.

Spread the message through your friends and acquaintances.

Make a financial contribution (tax deductible) to the Human Progress Network.
Your contribution will be used to strengthen our Internet access and begin to promote
the Government for the People movement through the Internet and other media.